Despite Hesheli's seemingly insane words, Xu Lejin looked at him with a calm and incomprehensible expression, while her heart was in turmoil.
The commoner Hesheli before my eyes?
She was actually a reincarnated person. In her previous life, she did not enter the palace but married her childhood sweetheart, only to be deceived by him for the rest of her life.
So when given the chance to start over, she resolutely chose to abandon her childhood sweetheart and fiancé and enter the palace.
With a soft sigh, Xu Lejin spoke in a low voice, "I don't understand what you mean. Even if..."
"Even if it is true, as you say, that you have lived two lives. In your previous life, you were unhappy and miserable. In this life, you have entered the palace and been conferred the title of Consort Xi by the Emperor, enjoying wealth and honor. Why would you poison the concubines in the palace, plot against the Emperor's offspring, and harm the concubines in the harem?"
"Since you know you are not suited to have children, why not enjoy your wealth and honor in the palace? After a few years, you can adopt a prince or princess born to a concubine of lower rank and have them by your side."
"The past is gone like smoke. Heaven has blessed you with a second life. Why do you continue to be so stubborn and resort to such extreme methods?"
Xu Lejin's gentle and soft words struck a chord with the commoner Hesheli.
Hesheli slumped to the ground, muttering, "Yes, whether it was all a dream or a second chance at life, everything has changed. Why should I remain so stubborn?"
"Now that things have come to this, can I turn back? The Emperor has already ordered me to commit suicide; I am going to die!"
Suddenly, Hesheli laughed wildly three times, looking up at the sky.
“The Hesheli family has many young women of marriageable age. Even if I die, there is still Consort Yun in the palace. Consort Yun is my uncle’s biological daughter, and she is of much higher birth than me.”
“Outside the palace, the young women of the Hesheli family grow up one generation after another, and I am never missing out.”
With a ferocious expression, Hesheli glanced at Xu Lejin in despair and murmured, "Your Highness, do you know how much I hate? I hate my father, I hate the Hesheli family, I hate my past life. When I was desperate and heartbroken, I begged the Hesheli family, but they abandoned me."
"With just one sentence, just one sentence, I could have continued to be the legal wife in my husband's family. But what happened? They saw that I was no longer of any use to them and abandoned me."
"I hate it!"
After saying that, Hesheli glanced longingly outside at the bright sunlight, then slammed his head against the wall.
With a crisp sound, Hesheli, the commoner, was immediately covered in blood and lifeless.
Lianzhi and Ruhua heard the noise and hurried into the hall, where they saw Hesheli, a commoner, with his eyes wide open in death.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Ru Hua suppressed the fear in her heart and asked softly.
Xu Lejin shook her head and said in a low voice, "It's alright. Hesheli is still seething with anger; he refuses to drink the poison or accept the white silk."
"Lianzhi, let Eunuch Li come in and collect the body of Hesheli."
Lianzhi respectfully replied "Yes," her face lowered, her expression solemn and thoughtful.
Walking back to Yikun Palace, Xu Lejin murmured casually, "I don't want anyone to know about what happened today. Hesheli is dead, and everything she had in life has vanished like smoke."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lianzhi lowered her head and carefully supported Xu Lejin.
Hesheli died a heroic death. Although the concubines in the palace still resented Hesheli for tampering with their food and harming their health, they admired Hesheli's courage.
Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, the people attending to the Empress were Consort Hui of Yanxi Palace, Noble Lady Lan, and Consort Shou.
Consort Hui covered her mouth, a mocking look on her face, and looked at Xu Lejin and said softly, "Today is truly a rare sight, the Consort Yu, who is pregnant with the emperor's child, actually came to Kunning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress."
Xu Lejin glanced at Consort Hui but ignored her.
With a slight bend of her knees, Xu Lejin bowed to the Empress, who lay on her sickbed, her face sallow, weak and listless, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live a thousand years!"
The Empress opened her mouth, but no sound came out; she could only weakly wave her hand.
Lianxing, a palace maid who was bowing and serving the Empress, spoke softly, "Your Highness Consort Yu, our Consort is not feeling well. Your Highness is carrying the Emperor's child and is going through a difficult pregnancy. We have come to pay our respects to Your Highness. Thank you for your kindness."
"It is my duty to pay my respects to Her Majesty the Empress."
Xu Lejin looked at the Empress lying sick in bed and sighed inwardly, thinking that the Empress's days were probably numbered.
A few days ago, he was still able to get out of bed and support himself to visit Consort Xuan, who had miscarried, at Xianfu Palace. But now he is so sick that he can't get out of bed and can't speak!
Although this is a parallel universe set in the Qing Dynasty, fates are always strikingly similar.
Qixi Festival
Xu Lejin celebrated the birthdays of Yinling, Wuxiha, and Unaxi at Yikun Palace.
Because Consort Xuan was still in her postpartum period, Xu Lejin did not have any particularly close consorts in the harem besides Consort Xuan. Therefore, after obtaining Emperor Kangxi's permission, Xu Lejin summoned Consort Xu from the Prince Gong's Mansion and the Prince Chun's Mansion, as well as her mother, Lady Xie, and several of her sisters from the same mother to the palace.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, along with the Fifth Princess Burhe and the toddler Princess Wuyoudai, a large and impressive group, also arrived at Yikun Palace.
Yinling, Wuxiha, and Unaxi were playing in the carpeted Yikun Palace, while Xu Lejin watched them with loving eyes, radiating maternal warmth.
"Lady Xie, I've noticed you've been carefully protecting your belly. Are you feeling unwell?"
The Empress Dowager looked at Lady Xie, pondered for a moment, and then asked softly.
Upon hearing this, Xie carefully stood up and replied respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My health is fine. The reason I'm protecting my belly is because I am pregnant, less than three months along."
After saying that, Xie's face turned red, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
When the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and Xu Lejin heard this, they were almost speechless with shock. Their three pairs of eyes stared straight at Xie Shi, or more precisely, at Xie Shi's belly.
Swallowing hard, Xu Lejin lowered her head in deep thought.
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly and asked in a deep voice, "I remember that Consort Yu in the palace is twenty-two years old this year, and Consort Xie's eldest daughter is twenty-six. Consort Xie must be over forty years old now, right?"
"Your Majesty, I am forty-four years old this year."
After speaking respectfully, Madam Xie lowered her head, her face filled with shame and indignation, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
The Empress Dowager was shocked for a moment, then smiled and said, "Lady Xie is a blessed person. She is over forty years old and still manages to have a pregnancy."
"Consort Yu is now two months pregnant. Changning's concubine also recently announced that she is pregnant again. Longxi's concubine entered the palace in February and became pregnant around the same time as Consort Yu."
"The daughters of Consort Xie have all inherited Consort Xie's good fertility, which is a blessing to the palace and the royal family."
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